Ties that Bind: This Corolla had been restored to tell its tale of miracle and friendship

Countless precious lives were lost in the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The tsunami, which was caused by the greatest earthquake in recorded Japanese history, had destroyed countless homes. The damage to automobiles was also immense. Damaged vehicles alone, which local governments in affected areas were asked to remove, amounted to around 70,000 vehicles, and some have also suggested that as many as 200,000 vehicles were rendered unusable.

Despite this unprecedented disaster, there is one Corolla that managed to be revived after being swept away by the tsunami. That car is the 1971 Corolla Coupe 1400SR, which is owned by Masayuki Watabe, a resident of Miyagi Prefecture.

It took a total of five years for repairs on the car to be completed, and that process was not always smooth sailing.

“The only option was to scrap it”

Mr. Watabe reflects on the state of his Corolla immediately following the earthquake, explaining that “It was three days after the tsunami when I had finally found the Corolla, which had been swept away. The location was about 30m from my house, which had been completely destroyed, and the car had become stuck in a tree. Considering the state that the car was in, I thought that the only option was to scrap it.”

Mr. Watabe’s house was relatively close to the ocean at an elevation of five or six meters. Almost all of the surrounding homes were carried away, as were many of the cars which were left in an almost unrecognizable state. But Mr. Watabe’s Corolla was different. While there were dents all over the body and the doors would not open, the original shape was still quite recognizable.

Mr. Watabe feels that “It was likely because of the condition I kept it in. My garage did not have a door, so the problem was that the ocean winds would always blow right in. In order to protect the Corolla from salt damage, I covered the body with blankets and then put another cover on top of that which was tied under the body. Apparently, the cover served as a kind of life jacket preventing the Corolla from sinking under the water.”

While the body shape was still intact, the car still had been carried off in a tsunami, and was left stuck in a tree. There were also clear signs that seawater had entered the interior and engine room of the car. Obviously, the engine would not start. Anyone would agree that scrapping the car was the only option.

Advice from a car hobbyist friend led to the decision to restore the Corolla

The words of another car hobbyist friend living in Tokyo motivated Mr. Watabe to try and restore the Corolla.

Mr. Watabe explains, “I am actually the Chairman of a car club made up of car hobbyists, and I have many such friends who I met in the numerous classic car events that I have hosted in the Tohoku region for more than 20 years. Many of my friends were concerned for me immediately after the disaster, and some even came to Miyagi. One of them told me that if the body was intact, then I just had to restore it.”

That particular friend from Tokyo asked for the help of the editorial department of Old Timer, an automotive magazine specializing in classic cars. Upon hearing the story, the editorial department of the magazine made the decision to restore the car themselves.

Two months after the disaster, the Corolla was finally detached from the tree and taken to Tokyo. The project to restore the Corolla had finally begun.

A network of support throughout Japan

The support provided was not limited only to that provided by Mr. Watabe’s car hobbyist friends and members from the automotive magazine. Once the restoration project was published in the magazine, other car hobbyists throughout the country began to respond and offer the parts that they had been storing carefully for use in their own favorite cars. With the widespread support from across Japan, the restoration work proceeded steadily.

A major crisis and a new form of support

In November 2014, just as the goal was in sight, the Corolla was faced with another calamity. The garage in which the restoration was taking place was set on fire, possibly due to arson. While the Corolla was not completely destroyed by the fire, the coating and plastic parts were damaged by the high temperatures. Many of the repair parts that had been awaiting their turn were also rendered useless or missing by the fire. As a result, the restoration work came to a complete standstill. It was the worst possible crisis.

However, once again, a new supporter entered the picture. An auto repair garage in Ibaraki requested that they carry on with the repair work.

Mr. Watabe explains, “It was another car hobbyist friend who had led us to this garage. The president of the garage who heard about the situation from my friend decided to stand up and take on the considerable challenge.”

Restoration complete, the Corolla returns to Tohoku

The restoration work was finally completed in March 2016. All expenses for the repairs and parts were paid for by the many supporters, resulting in no cost to Mr. Watabe. The restored Corolla, which was shining like new, had been driven back smoothly from the garage in Ibaraki to Miyagi. A small handover ceremony was held at the temporary housing where Mr. Watabe resided. About thirty car hobbyists had participated in the ceremony that day. Newspapers and TV crews also attended the event, and the scene was broadcast nationally by NHK news.

A car that embodies the memories of a family

Mr. Watabe says that “I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would ever be able to drive it again like this.”

The red Corolla was filled with countless memories for Mr. Watabe’s family. Mr. Watabe was only 21 when he bought it as a new car. It was just after his first son was born. The Corolla was a major purchase for Mr. Watabe at 750,000 yen including options. At the time, the estimated monthly salary of a bureaucrat straight out of university was about 40,000 yen.

He explains, “I actually wanted a Celica at first. But when I went to the dealer, he told me that the 1400SR that was fresh on the lot up in Kesennuma hadn’t been driven by anyone, and so if I bought it now I’d have the very first one. I thought that would be pretty neat. I also liked the red body color. A red car like this was very rare at the time.”

Reflecting nostalgically, on the many places he had visited with his family in the Corolla, Mr. Watabe also fondly recalled that “We also went to the amusement park in Sugo. Oh yes, we also went all the way to Hokkaido twice. We drove half way around Hokkaido on two separate trips to complete a full journey around Hokkaido. My kid was still in diapers at the time. We had the washed diapers drying on a clothes line hung on the hooks inside the car while we were driving. We also went to Tokyo. I remember locking the keys in the car on that trip. I had no choice but to break the rear side window and unlock the door. We drove all the way back to Miyagi with that broken glass held together with tape!”

When the disaster had struck, Mr. Watabe had already owned the car for 40 years. He says he had no intention of driving it for so long when he originally bought it. However, the more fun experiences he had in the car with his family, the longer he drove it.

“At the time I just somehow couldn’t let it go, but it’s completely different now. Everyone’s strong feelings are embodied in this car now. The car was restored because of those feelings, so I will never let it go.”

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